Connected Women Programme

Accelerating digital and financial inclusion for women

Our mission is to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services in low- and middle-income countries and unlock significant commercial and socio-economic opportunities.

In today’s increasingly connected world, women are being left behind. A significant gender gap in mobile phone ownership and usage in low-and middle-income countries is hindering growth for the mobile industry and means women are missing out. Successfully targeting women not only advances women’s digital and financial inclusion, but unlocks significant growth potential for the mobile industry. In fact, closing the gender gap in mobile phone ownership and usage could unlock an estimated $170 billion market opportunity for the mobile industry in the period from 2015 to 2020.

GSMA’s Connected Women works with mobile operators and their partners to address the barriers to women accessing and using mobile internet and mobile money services. Together we can unlock this substantial market opportunity for the mobile industry, deliver significant socio-economic benefits and transform women’s lives. When women thrive, societies, businesses and economies thrive.

This initiative is currently funded by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID), and supported by the GSMA and its members.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also supports the GSMA Connected Women programme,
funding research to better understand where along the mobile money customer journey women tend to drop
off more than men and identify opportunities for addressing key gender gaps in specific markets in
Africa.